Portable amusement riding device



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Nov. 24, 1925- 1,563,122

F. L. L !ZZELL PORTABLE AMUSEMENT RIDING DEVICEL Filed Jan. 13. 1,922 2Sheets-Sheet 2 5 64 1./ I I vantoz fd" I l? MZW 62 m1,@ www A posts 10joined by horizontal and. inclined` lPatented Nov. 24, 1925.

FRANK L. UZZELL, OF JAMAICA, NEW YORK.

fg `j PORTABLE AMUSEMENT RIDING DEvI'eE.

Application filed January 13, 1922. Serial No. 529,057.

To ZZ 107mm t may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, FRANK L. UzznLL, citizen of the United States, andresident of Jamaica, in the county of Queens and State of New York, haveinvented certain' new and useful Improvements in Portable AmusementRiding Devices, of which the following is` a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a type of amusement device commonly known as acircle swing, in which a number of freely suspended cars move in acommon circular path,

The invention has for its object to provide a portable riding device ofthis type, in which the various parts may be compact ly assembled fortransportation purposes.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred en'lbodimentof the invention.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of a device embodying theinvention, the cars being omitted, and certain parts being broken away.Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary central vertical section at rightangles to Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a detail `horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken along the line 4;-4of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the arrangement of theremovable base supports and braces.

Fig. G is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of one of the basesupports.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side view of the base supports. y y

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side view showing the lower portion ofthe tower andthe means for securing it to the base.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section on the line 9.9 of Fig. 8.

As here shown, the device comprises, briefly, a vertical sectional shaftcarrying radiating arms at its upper end, from which the cars aresuspended, a telescopic tower to support and brace the shaft, anda basecarrying the tower and the drive rmechanism for .revolving theshaft,this base being preferably permanently mounted on a transportatlonwagon.

Iand comprises an outer lower section of frusto-pyramidal form made upof corner The tower is here shown as of square form v braces 11 and 12.This outer section encloses and rigidly supports a straight sided squareinner section made up of corner posts 13 joined by horizontalv 14 and15. This inner section fits snugly within the top part of the outerlower secp tion and is braced at points throughout its length bydiagonal braces 16 which Vextend between the posts 10 and 13. Y

The posts of the different tower sections are preferably made of anglebars and the bracing members 1st and 15 for the inner section aresecured to the outer faces of the posts 13, which latter' present smoothinner faces serving as guides for the top or telescopic section.

This telescopic upper idal form except at its prises angle-bar cornerposts 18 united by horizontal and diagonal braces 19 and 20. At theirlower ends these posts 18 are bent to `present relatively short verticalportions 18 which lit snugly and slidably within the posts 13 of theguidesection. At their upper ends the posts 18 fit within and aresecured to a cap 21 which forms the top bearing for the shaft.

section is of pyramlower end and com- For raising and lowering thetelescopicsection, a pair of hand winches 22, of the usual construction,are Vmounted on opposite sides of the outer lower tower section, cables23 leading upwardly from these winches over pulleys 24 mounted on theupper end of the lower section, downward around pulleys 25 on the bottomof the telescopic sec tion and upward to connect to eyes 26 fixed on thetop of the lower section. The telescopic section may beheld in itsraised position by suit-able bolts passed throughthe members '13 and 18.

The vertical car-supporting shaft is made up of three sections, a topsection 28, an intermediate section 29, and a bottom section 30, theintermediate section 29 being unitedA to the othersections byinterlocking.clutch elements 31 so thatit may be readily re ment of theupper tower section.

For supporting the cars, a socket' head 32 Y the inner ends of rigidarms 34;.' which radfv and diagonal braces l moved, the length of thissection corre' spending to the length' of telescopic move# till atetherefrom and are provided with caps fitting` freely over their outerends. Tie rods 36 lead from these caps to a flanged member 37 fixed onthe upper end of the shaft 28 (Fig. 2), these rods having hooked innerends detachably engaging;` in holes 38 in the member 37. The caps 35 atthe outer end of arms 3i have holes 3S) formed therein to r-eceive theupper ends of the rods from which the cars are suspended. These cars andtheiil suspension rods have not been shown in the drawings, as they maybe of any desired construction and do not form part of the presentinvention.

The lower section 3() of the shaft, which is comparatively short, seatsin a socket bearing;l 4t() bolted to the base of the device. This baseis indicated generally by 4l and may be of any suitable construction,the supportingwagon, indicated generally by 4t2, being here shown with aflat Hoor 43, on which the base 41 rests.

To secure the tower posts 10 to the base fil, the former are fixed. on,that side of the tower which is above the rear end of the wagon, tocastings such as 44 (Figs. 8-9) and on the side above the front end ofthe wagon to castings such as 44V, the castings Liet and all being inthe main of like construction and being all secured to tbe base il bymeans of bolts 5 projecting upwardly f from the base 4]. and havingthreaded thereon nuts 6 bearing on bottom flanges 47 on the casting L14.To facilitate the removal of the tower from the base for transportation`each of the front castings 44' are formed with an eye-lug t8 at itslower end through which is inserted a bolt 49 carried in brackets 50fixed to base 41.

Jetlthomegh the wagon 2 remains under the tower when the device is inuse, the weight is carried` independently of the wagon running gear, bya removable substructure. This substructure comprises a number ofcolumns 52, which are of a height to reach from the wagon flooring;- 43to the ground, four of which are positioned one under cach corner of thetower and a fifth in the centre, as shown in Fig. 5. Extending outwardlyfrom these columns, in the manner indicated in Fig. 5, are a series ofbuttress members 53 which increase the base areaof the tower and bracethe latter aga-inst tiltingr movement. These buttress members 53 areremovably secured to the respective corner columns 52 by means of rods,54 (Fie. 7), which are passed downwardly through eyemembers, 55 and5,6, respectively fixed on the columns 52 and members 53. Extendingupwardly and inwardlyfrom the outer ends of these buttress members 53are struts 57 (Fig. l) which are connected at their upper ends to thetower posts 1Q. These struts 57 may be removably secured to the towerposts 10 and members 5.3 by means of pins 58 passing through the endsthereof and through ears 59 fixed to said posts l() and members 53.

The members 53 may be secured together by means of tie rods 60, arrangedas indicated in Fig. 5, while the columns 52 may be likewise braced bytie rods (il. rlhese tie rods 60 and (il may be secured to the columns52 and members 53 in any suitable manner, such as indi fated in Figs. 6and 7, by brackets and (i3, rcsi'iectively, which arc secured to thecolumn 52 and member 53 and receive pins (i5 and G4 passed through theends of the tie rods 60 and 6l., respectively.

The car supporting` shaft .may be rotated by any suitable mechanism, a,gas engine G7 being;- here shown as mounted on the base lll andconnected to a short horizontal shaft 63 by a belt 69, the shaft G8beine` connected to the shaft section 30 by suitable reducingT gearing.including the bevel gear and pinion indicated at in Fig. 2, a combinedbrake and clutch 7l of ordinary construction be ingr provided on shaft68. The car supporting shaft is preferably braced at points alongitslength by means of bearing' sleeves 72, which are fixed on crossedbraces 73, removably secured to the tower at their outer ends.

In dismantlingthe swingT for transporta-- tion, the upper telescopictower section is [rst raised by the winches 22 to permit of removal ofthe intermediate shaft section 2i) and is then lowered into the lowertower section, the car supporting' elements 34, 36 being removed. Thecolumns 52 and bracing members 53 and 57 are then removed. The bolts i-5which secure the tower posts 10 to the base il are then loosened,permitting the collapsed tower to be swung' on the hinge bolts 49 to ahorizontal position, its outer end resting on a second wagon placed infront of the wagon 42. ln assemblingr the tower, the above operationsare reversed.

It will be seen that a portable device of this class is provided whichmay be readily moved from place to place and set up easily and quicklyin a simple manner.

Vhat l' claim is:

l. A portable riding device comprising a if'ertical shaft having,Y a.removable section, car-supporting means mounted on said shaft, a towerforming an upper bearing for said shaft and comprising upper and lowerseotions, said lower section having; a plurality of guides co-operatingwith said upper section for pe mitting telescoping of said upper andlower sections upon removing; the section of the shaft.

2. A portable riding device comprising' a vertical shaft, car supportingmeans mounted thereon, a tower forming an upper bearing for said shaft,said tower comprising upper and lower sections, the upper section beingteleseopically mounted in a plurality lill) lio ol parallel guides'carried by said lower section, said shaft comprising upper, lower andintermediate sections, the said intermediate lsection being removable topermit telescoping of the tower sections.

3. A portable riding device comprising a vertical shaft having aremovable intermediate section, car supporting means mounted thereon, abearing tower for said shaft comprising a lower section having inclinedwalls, a parallel sided guide element lixed within the said lowersection, and an upper section adapted for vertical adjustment in saidguide element.

4. A portable riding device comprising a vertical shaft, car supportingmeans mounted thereon, a tower comprising a lower section havinginclined walls, a parallel sided guide element fixed in said lowersection, an upper section adapted for vertical movement in said guideelement, and means-for raising said upper section and holding it inraised position, said means comprising a pair oi' Winches mounted onopposite sides of the lower section, and cables leading from saidwinches around pulleys on the upper end of the lixed section and thelower end ol? the telescopio section, said cables' being attached attheir ends to the top of the lower sectioi'i.

5. A. portable riding device comprising a 'vertical shajlt having aremovable section, a bearing tower for said sh ait comprising up-: perand lower sections, said lower section having a plurality of parallelguiding members mounted therein co-operating with said upper section forpermitting telescoping of the upper and lower Sections' upon removal ofsaid section of the shaft, a base support ing said tower, means forhinging said tower on one side thereof to said base, and mechanism 'forrotating said shaft located Within said lower tower section.

6. A portable riding device comprising a vertical sectional shaft, atelescopic towel' forming an upper' bearing for said shaft, a base forsaid tower, a wagon on which said base is iixed, and removable columnspositioned under the corners of the base to support the same.independently of the running gear of the wagon.

7. A portable ridingl device comprising a vertical sectional shaft, atelescopic tower forming an upper bearing for said shaft, a base forsaid tower, a series of columns po` sitioned under the corners ot thebase, and buttress members extending outwardly from and removablyconnected to said columns.

8. A portable riding device comprising a vertical sectional shaft, atelescopic tower forming an upper bearing for said shaft, a base forsaid tower, a wagon on which said base is lixed, a series ot columnsremovably engaged under said base, buttress members extending outwardlyfrom and removably connected to said columns, and removable strutsextending upwardly and inwardly from the said buttress members to thesides oi,B the said tower.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New Yorkthis tenth day of January, A.. D. 1922.

FRANK L. UZZELL.

